Rachel Rosenfeld, 17, made her first visit to the Southeast Asian country for the opening of the R.S. Rosenfeld School, which brings five computers and Internet access to 300 primary school students in a small village of Siem Reap province, a poverty stricken area that is home to the country’s famed Angkor Wat temple complex.

Rosenfeld, of Harrison, New York, said she learned about the village of Srah Khvav after reading a newspaper article last year that discussed the plight of poor Cambodian children who often have no access to education. The American said she was horrified to learn that some young Cambodian girls end up being sold into prostitution by their parents.

The teen said she set out to help after spending most of last year battling a stomach disorder that caused her constant pain. She required months of medical treatment that forced her to miss a year of school.

To raise money, Rosenfeld sent out hundreds of fundraising letters, sold T-shirts and offered naming rights for several structures in the school, a statement said. The $52,000 she raised was supplemented by the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, which contributed $10,000 and $13,000, respectively, said her mother, Lisa Rosenfeld.

“It makes me feel great to know that I was able to help so many people,” the teen said when contacted by telephone. “Just seeing everyone so happy (today). It meant a lot to me.”

She was accompanied by her parents, grandparents and her brother and sister.
Children in white shirts and navy pants, the Cambodian school uniform, stood in two neat lines and clapped as Rosenfeld and her family arrived. The students pressed their palms together in a sign of respect and thanks.

“Going to school is very important to everyone’s future,” Rosenfeld said at the opening ceremony, according to a statement. “If I can build this school, then each of you can set goals for yourselves that you can reach.” “Aim very high, and you’ll be surprised what you can achieve,” she said.

Ung Serei Dy, an education official from Siem Reap province, said the school was only one of two in the village. “The school donated by Rachel Rosenfeld is very important to us,” he said, adding that she had “set a standard that all of us should learn from.”

Assosciated Press, updated 7:37 a.m. ET, Wed., Dec. 26, 2007

Emma, age 5, is the daughter of Robert and Krista Benavides and granddaughter of Tom and Sandra Duffee, all of Kingwood.

Emma’s grandmother, Joan Hart, of Corpus Christi, was diagnosed with stage 3-B lung cancer in July 2007. While Hart was in Houston undergoing cancer treatments, the family explained to Emma that some cancer treatments cause people to lose their hair. The Benavides family learned about Locks of Love, a nonprofit organization, from an information packet supplied by M.D. Anderson Hospital.

Emma wanted to help. Emma’s hair at the time had never been cut and hung well below her waist. Emma’s mother and grandmother made plans to schedule Emma’s very first haircut on her fifth birthday in early April. She wanted to donate her hair to Locks of Love in honor of her grandmother.

Hart did not live to see her little granddaughter make her donation; Hart passed away March 30, 2008. Twelve inches of Emma’s hair was cut on April 8. The salon did not charge for the haircut after learning of Emma’s plans.

On May 6, Emma’s mother also cut and donated her hair to Locks of Love in memory of her mother.

“When you hear about these organizations, at the time you think, oh, what a great cause, but you generally don’t do anything about it until it affects you personally,” said Benavides.

The Locks of Love Web site explains how anyone can make a donation for this worthy cause. For example, donated hair cannot be bleached and must be a minimum of 10 inches in length. Donations from people of all races, all ages, male and female, are needed.

People can donate simply by informing their hair stylist that they want to donate to Locks of Love. The stylist will separate the hair into ponytails, cut it, and give it back to be mailed by the donor to Locks of Love.

(www.goodnewsblog.com)

…When he inquired as to her silence she started explaining her day at school and the conversation developed. “Daddy, do we have smoke detectors?” she asked. “We do,” he said. “We need to test them. The firemen said so,” Emily said. “We’ll do it in the morning,” he said. “It’s time to go to sleep.” “No, Daddy, now. Please?” she pleaded. “We have to.” So holding her in his arm he carried her into the hall way and tested the first detector: he pushed the test button and nothing happened. Tried again… nothing. The other new batteries that they had in the house and while Emily was watching change the batteries of the smoke detectors. Emily and her big dog Jack went to sleep peacefully. That night the family and the animals fled the fiercely burning house, having been awakened by shrill siren sound of the smoke detector. It was only two weeks later that Fire Marshall Tom Velky learned about Emily’s role in the family’s survival. “Her persistence undoubtedly saved her family from probable, serious burn injury and possibly death. She’s a hero. In a surprise award ceremony Emily received a “State of Connecticut Honorary Service” medal from the Stratford fire Department. It’s only the second time ever that such a metal had been given to a nonmember of the fire department.

Have fundraisers for ADRA.  (This is a relief agency that helps people in under-developed countries.)  I had a birthday party where, instead of bringing presents, my friends went through the ADRA catalogue with me and picked out projects to donate to.  Great fun! 

Petition for decency laws in your area.  “House Bill 1626,” also known as the “Baggy Pants Bill” states: “It shall be unlawful for any person to appear in public wearing his pants below his waist and thereby exposing his skin or intimate clothing.” People in your community may be interested in a law like this!

Hi! My name is Hannah Hendron, now age 14, and I’m your GEMS hostess.  This is a fun way for me to reach out to other girls, without getting into a lot of nasty stuff that’s on the web.  Share your experiences, stories of girls you know, any ideas or materials that will help us grow into womanhood with dignity and grace.  Thank you so much for visiting. You’re a GEM!

To become a Member of the Online Club please visit:

www.gemsonline.webs.com